| Type | Broadcast radio and television |
|---|---|
| Country | Iceland |
| Availability | National; international (selected programs via the Internet) |
| Founded | by The Icelandic government |
| Key people | Páll Magnússon, CEO Bjarni Kristjánsson, CFO Sigrún Stefánsdóttir, head of programming Óðinn Jónsson, head of news |
| Launch date | 1930 (incorporation) 1930 (radio) 1966 (television) |
| Official website | www.ruv.is Company information in English |
Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) (pronounced [ˈriːkɪsˌuːtvar̥pɪð] or [ˈruːv]) (English: The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service) is Iceland's national public-service broadcasting organization.
Operating from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the country, the service broadcasts a variety of general programming to a wide audience across the whole country via radio channels Rás 1 and Rás 2, and one television channel.
RÚV began radio broadcasting in 1930 and its first television transmissions were made in 1966. In both cases coverage quickly reached nearly every household in Iceland. RÚV is funded by a television licence fee collected from every income tax payer, as well as advertising revenue. RÚV has been a full active member of the European Broadcasting Union since 1956.
Since 1986, the year in which its monopoly as the only permitted domestic broadcaster was ended, RÚV has faced competition from a number of private broadcasting companies, most notably the 365 corporation.
On 31 March 2011, RÚV introduced a major re-branding of its stations, new logos, and a visual overhaul to its television channel.[1]
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RÚV – which by the terms of its charter is obliged to "promote the Icelandic language, Icelandic history, and Iceland's cultural heritage" and "honour basic democratic rules, human rights, and the freedom of speech and opinion"[2] – carries a substantial amount of arts, media, and current affairs programming, in addition to which it also supplies general entertainment in the form of feature films and such internationally popular television drama series as Lost and Desperate Housewives. RÚV's lineup also includes sports coverage, documentaries, domestically produced entertainment shows, and children's programming.
RÚV runs two dedicated news services – one for radio and one for television – which are among the most time-honoured and respected in Iceland. On weekdays the Rás 2 radio network includes 35 minutes of regional opt-outs for local news coverage.
Gettu betur is a popular annual quiz tournament pitting teams from senior secondary schools around Iceland against each other in five rounds which are broadcast on radio and TV. Also popular viewing is the Eurovision Song Contest, to which RÚV has sent participants on Iceland's behalf since 1986. In sports, RÚV traditionally carries live coverage of such major events as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, although it lost the right to broadcast the 2006 World Cup, having been outbid by commercial broadcaster 365 in 2002. It has, however, now been confirmed that RÚV will show the 2010 World Cup tournament.
In accordance with its duty as a public broadcasting service, Sjónvarpið, the television network, broadcasts a news bulletin in sign language for the hearing impaired. In addition, Rás 1 (Radio 1), broadcasts detailed weather reports for Icelandic seafarers and others who rely on weather conditions.
For its longwave transmissions on 189 kHz RÚV uses Western Europe's tallest radio mast, the Hellissandur longwave radio transmitter.
List of Icelandic television channels
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